Glycine is used for treating schizophrenia, stroke, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and some rare inherited metabolic disorders. Some people apply glycine directly to the skin to treat leg ulcers and heal other wounds. Glycine is also involved in the transmission of chemical signals in the brain, so there is interest in trying it for schizophrenia and improving memory.
Since glycine has such a small side chain, it can fit into many places where no other amino acid can. For example, only glycine can be the internal amino acid of a collagen helix. Glycine is very evolutionarily stable at certain positions of some proteins. A notable exception is collagen, which is about one-third glycine. But amino acids, sometimes called building blocks of life, are a much more interesting find.
glycine, the simplest amino acid, obtainable by hydrolysis of proteins. Sweet-tasting, it was among the earliest amino acids to be isolated from gelatin (1820). Especially rich sources include gelatin and silk fibroin. Glycine as a food additives is the simplest of the amino acids, and can be synthesized by the body from the amino acids serine or threonine. Glycine is a glycogenic amino acid - it is capable of building up glycogen, or stored carbohydrate.
Glycine supplementation can increase the clearance of uric acid by the kidneys, and may be a useful aid to the treatment of gout. It is essential for wound healing, and may be added, along with zinc, to ointments and creams for this purpose. Glycine, in combination with alanine and glutamic acid, has been used to improve the symptoms of benign prostate hypertrophy.
Other food additives: Ginseng Extract Curcumin
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